gfw.vessel.search
Search the Global Fishing Watch database for fishing and commercial vessels by name, MMSI (9-digit AIS identifier), IMO number, or call sign. Returns vessel identities with flag state, gear types (trawlers, longliners, purse seiners, etc.), ship types, and AIS transmission date ranges. GFW tracks...
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What gfw.vessel.search does on Apibase
AI agents call gfw.vessel.search to retrieve information from Apibase without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
flag | string | — | ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code to filter by flag state (e.g. "CHN" for China, "USA" for United States, "PAN" for Panama). |
limit | integer | — | Maximum number of vessels to return (1–50, default 10). |
query | string | Yes | Vessel name, MMSI (9-digit AIS identifier), IMO number, or call sign to search for (e.g. "Atlantic Star", "123456789", "IMO9234567"). Partial names are supporte |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why gfw.vessel.search is rated Low
Queries public fishing vessel registry without creating, modifying, or deleting data; no side effects.
From the tool's definition Search database for vessels by name, MMSI, IMO, call sign. Returns identities, flag state, gear types.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs gfw.vessel.search safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Apibase, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For gfw.vessel.search, this is the rule to start with:
gfw.vessel.search is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Apibase, apply this rule, and every gfw.vessel.search call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about gfw.vessel.search
Search the Global Fishing Watch database for fishing and commercial vessels by name, MMSI (9-digit AIS identifier), IMO number, or call sign. Returns vessel identities with flag state, gear types (trawlers, longliners, purse seiners, etc.), ship types, and AIS transmission date ranges. GFW tracks 60,000+ active fishing vessels using satellite AIS data covering 2012–present. Optionally filter results by flag state using ISO 3-letter country code. Use gfw.vessel.details for full registry information. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
gfw.vessel.search accepts 3 parameters: flag, limit, query. Required: query. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Apibase MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for gfw.vessel.search: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Apibase. Nothing to install.
gfw.vessel.search is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the gfw.vessel.search rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for gfw.vessel.search. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
gfw.vessel.search is provided by the Apibase MCP server (apibase-mcp-client). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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